Change the Score Card

In December 2015, Comedian and Host of T.V.’s Family Feud, Steve Harvey was hosting the Miss Universe pageant, a highly anticipated and glamorous event watched by millions around the world. As the show reached its climax, Harvey was tasked with announcing the winner. With great excitement, he declared Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez, as the new Miss Universe.

The crowd erupted in cheers, and Miss Colombia was crowned and celebrated with flowers and confetti. However, moments later, amidst the celebration, Harvey returned to the stage with a look of distress. He admitted that he had made a mistake: He had announced the runner-up as the winner of the pagent. The actual winner was Miss Philippines, Pia Wurtzbach. Harvey’s mistake meant that Miss Colombia had been mistakenly crowned.

This error led to a highly awkward and emotional situation. Miss Colombia had to return the crown, and Miss Philippines was crowned in an impromptu and somewhat chaotic ceremony. The mix-up not only caused confusion and embarrassment but also highlighted how critical it is to ensure accuracy when declaring results.

In life, this incident serves as a powerful metaphor for the importance of keeping score correctly.

Jesus makes a bold statement about his church in

Matthew 16:13–18 ESV

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

There is a war going on between Jesus and the devil. There is a team—the church. The team is Jesus’ church, and He is the Head Coach. The gates of Hell are the opposition, but according to Jesus, they can’t stop Jesus’ Church!

If this is true, how is God’s Church [The Team] doing in America?

Statistics for the U.S.:

(Most statistics from Barna Research Group, 2023 Religious Landscape Study)

Only 6% of the churches in America are growing by conversion growth.

Only 30% of churches are growing at all.

Practicing Christians have reduced from 45% to 20% since 2000.

In America, we close 75+ churches per week.

Americans claiming to be atheist, agnostic, or no religion has increased from 11%(2008) to 30% (2024)

60-70% of teenagers will leave the church when they reach the age of 18-24.

The life statistics of those who go to church are the same as those who do not attend church. (i.e., marriage, divorce, addictions and money)

10% of regular church attendees give 10% or more of their income to the LORD through the Church. (“State of the Plate” research)

37% of Christian pastors have a biblical worldview. See Appendix – Biblical Worldview Index

1 in 6 (17%) of those who attend a biblical worldview church have a biblical worldview.

Our faith is not a game, but if it were, what would the score be?

When we look at these realities, does it seem like our team is winning?

So when we see these realities one of three things must be true:

Jesus was wrong.

Jesus is a liar.

The Church is not on Jesus’ Team.

Somewhere along the way, the church, God’s team has conflated things like auditorium size, the knowledge of our Sunday School classes, and the amount of money we give to missions with being on Jesus’ team.

Now I’m not saying these things are wrong, but somethings is off. Somewhere along the way, we’ve missed the mark.

What is the problem? How did we get here?

We strayed from “The Playbook,” the BIBLE .

When the Bible is not the ultimate authority or absolute truth, or we ‘pick’ from it only what we want.

We have changed the rules of the game. We have decided we do not want to listen to The Coach, GOD .

Many don’t function as a team.

We are not shooting for God’s goals, but our personal COMFORT and agendas. Those who do play aren’t running the same play at the same time. We do not define success the same way.

Many don’t understand their roles and responsibilities.

Pastors have become PAID PLAYERS .

The church doesn't follow its God given leadership.

1. They don’t know the plays.

2. They don’t run the play called.

Most Christians are not COMMITTED to the body of Christ, the Church (attending only 1.6 times a month in America, and only 10% in small group environments). Most people don't have relationships that are real and helpful to their Christian walk.

All of these things lead to a losing team —and the world is watching!

A Biblical Definition of Church

God’s definition of the word “church” (Greek: ecclesia) is: THE CALLED OUT ONES .

And God clearly defines in scripture what constitutes a church. So today, I want us, in preparation for the rolling out of our VISION as a church moving forward, I want us to look at How Jesus defines winning and what a church is.

The Church is a BODY, and every Christian has a part. Romans 12:4-5

Romans 12:4–5 ESV

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Ephesians 4:15–16 ESV

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

The Church is a FAMILY led by Pastors as they follow Jesus

Ephesians 2:19 ESV

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Titus 1:5 ESV

This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

1 Peter 5:1–3 ESV

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

Next week, we’re going to close out this sermon series by looking at this last question:

What is the Church’s Purpose?

We will dig down into the vision for what Christ is calling us to do to win.

But before we do that, there’s some work that has to be done.

At the beginning I said if Jesus’ team the church isn’t winning that there was one of three answers:

Jesus is Wrong.

Jesus is Lying

We aren’t Jesus’ Church

If that’s true then we have a big problem. If Truitt is not on Jesus’ team, then there is only one response:

We Need to Get Back on Jesus’ Team

How?

Daniel 9, Daniel was dealing with the reality that they, Israel, had ceased to be on Jesus’ team.

Daniel 9:4–10 ESV

I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

Daniel 9:16–19 ESV

“O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

Daniel’s response to their failure, was to do what we must do: We must repent corporately for our sins.

We’ve used the name Mark Clifton a lot throughout this sermon series, but he notes in his book on Revitalization:

"Corporate repentance is essential in church revitalization. It involves the entire congregation recognizing and addressing the ways in which they have deviated from God's purpose, and collectively turning back to Him with humility and commitment."

Church I am Calling us to ACT.

If we’re going to move through this process of becoming the church God wants us to be it can’t just be words, it must begin now.

Acknowledge

Identify: Recognize and assess the issues in our past. Here are some I think we’ve been guilty of:

Lack of Vision and Mission: We’ve been just going through the motions, defining victory on our own scorecard, and not seeking a biblical one.

Inward Focus: Many churches become overly focused on serving their own members rather than reaching out to their community or the lost.

Complacency: There can be a tendency towards complacency, where churches are satisfied with the status quo and resistant to change or growth.

Resistance to Change: Churches may resist necessary changes, preferring traditional methods and practices even when they are no longer effective.

Poor Leadership: Issues with leadership, including ineffective or unhealthy leadership practices, can hinder a church’s ability to revitalize.

Lack of Accountability: A failure to hold members and leaders accountable can lead to persistent problems and hinder spiritual growth.

Misalignment with Biblical Teachings: Churches may drift from biblical teachings or fail to adhere to sound doctrine, impacting their effectiveness and witness.

Confess: Admit these issues publicly.

Commit

As we move forward we need to pray. We are going to look as a staff at a season for corporate prayer. We will be having times of prayer for our church, starting in October.

The only way we’re going to overcome the issues it through the help of almighty God.

We’re also going to have some prayer guides that we are going to hand out next week for 40 days of Prayer for Church Revitalization. We ask that throughout the month of October and November you pray for guidance and wisdom for our Church.

Transform

Repent: Turn away from inconsistent practices and align with God’s will.

Change: Over the next several months, we are going to be coming to some of you to help form a Revitalization Strategy Team. This team will be made up of 7 members of our church, who with our staff will be a dedicated group focused on renewing and transforming our church to better fulfill our mission. Our team will assess our current challenges, develop a strategic plan for growth, and work alongside you to implement positive changes. Our goal is to enhance our spiritual vitality, engage more effectively with our community, and ensure that we are aligned with God's vision for us. Together, we'll build a vibrant, thriving church that makes a lasting impact."

So part of your prayer will be for God to raise up this team who will help us navigate the future as a church.